Ichigo and the Brothers Bread
by 400roc
Summary: Ichigo dies at the end of his fight against Aizen, and is reincarnated as Peeta Mellark. This is my first fanfic, but don't be nice. Rated T for paranoia and because it's the Hunger Games. Adopted By RocketDwarf
1. Chapter 1

"This is the part where I say that yes, I'm giving this story to 400roc.

Best of luck, and enjoy!"

-RocketDwarf

 **A/N: So sorry this took so long to post.**

 **Chapter 1**

The sound of the alarm clock's bells filled the small room with their incessant ringing. A chorus of yawns and groans swiftly followed as Ichigo and his two older brothers were roused from their sleep.

"Mornin'"

"G'mornin"

"Someone get th' clock."

Ichigo rose to the challenge, swinging down off the top of a rickety bunk-bed to touch the top of a small, mechanical alarm clock, silencing it.

"Thanks," muttered Littora, the oldest of the three.

"Don't mention it," Ichigo replied. Ichigo knew that the time, while he couldn't see the clock in the low light, was 4 AM. The room was simple, slightly dirty, and very cramped. If a person were to walk in at that very moment, they would see a bunk-bed to their right and a small cot on the left. Directly across from the door was a dresser that the three brothers stored their clothes in. Behind the window, half covered by the dresser, was a small and grimy window covered in moth-eaten curtains. The imaginary intruder would also have seen three well-muscled brothers, the youngest' bright orange hair, still easily distinguishable even in the dark, and deep amber eyes in stark contrast with his brothers' dirty blond locks and sky blue eyes. The three brothers took their time to dress and prepare for their day, finding and laying out their best clothes. Today was the day of the annual reaping; the day when one girl and one boy from each of the twelve districts would be taken from their families and to a huge outdoor arena to fight to the death. The practice was a barbaric and disgusting reminder of the Districts' failure to defeat the Capitol in an uprising that had been crushed seventy four years ago. The three brothers had asked their mother if they could sleep in on the day of the reaping but she had immediately refused, saying that it would break their schedule and be less useful in the bakery. And so there they stood, just outside the doorway of their room, unsure of what to do with their free time.

"So… what now?" Said Eptasi, the second oldest. He voiced the three brother's thoughts perfectly. What now? With a whole day to spend, what could they do to pass the time? They spent nearly every day in the bakery, moving heavy sacks of flour, kneading dough, and baking bread. Today though, the bakery was closed. They stood silently in the small hallway outside their room for a while, deep in thought and trying to come up with Ideas. It was Ichigo who finally broke the silence.

"I don't know, let's just start walking."

As the three siblings made their way down a street in the merchant district, Ichigo's thoughts turned back to the day of his death for what felt like the millionth time…

 _A cold feeling was spreading slowly from the hole in Ichigo's chest. Aizen's hand had pierced Ichigo's chest the moment the man realized that Ichigo was powerless._

 _"You have lost, Ichigo Kurosaki," Aizen gloated, "behold! My Zanpaktou is disappearing," he continued, holding up the disintegrating blade for Ichigo to see. "The Hogyoku has determined that I no longer need a Zanpakuto!" He continued his rant, going on about how far into his 'transcendence' he was as Ichigo's consciousness began to fade. It was not a thing he wanted to hear while he breathed his last few dying breaths. "You're finished! Ichigo Kurosaki!" Aizen took a breath as if to go on, but he was cut off when a glowing spike of red light appeared, stabbing him through his chest. The man stared at the spike for a second, shocked. The singular spike was followed by more, stabbing through his chest in a pattern that resembled a cross "What is this?" He demanded, staggering back and removing his hand from Ichigo's chest, "Is this kidou? When could it have been…?" He trailed off as he reached dup to his chest._

 _"Seems like it's finally activated." A new voice, quiet yet severe, commented. Kisuke Urahara, hat and all, landed softly on the ground nearby. Ichigo couldn't keep his mind trained on Urahara's voice as he explained that the red light was a kidou that he himself had specially designed to seal Aizen's power._

 _Aizen began to rant once more about his power, obviously in denial of his defeat. As he spoke, the red light turned solid and grey as it spread across his body. The last things Ichigo saw before the last of his life left him, was Aizen being engulfed by the grey substance and then his encased form morphing into a cross._

"Peeta… Peeta?" Ichigo was dragged out of his thoughts by Eptasi's hand on his shoulder.

"Huh… oh. Yes?" Ichigo mumbled, his mind still halfway in the past.

"You spaced out, you've been doing that a lot recently," Said Littora, his voice filled with concern.

Hogyoku "Nervous? Me too," said Eptasi, his hand squeezing Ichigo's shoulder.

"I'm fine, really, don't worry about me," Ichigo said.

Ichigo had never really gotten used to being the youngest sibling of three. In his previous life, he had always been the older brother figure, there to protect his younger sisters, even if it meant certain death. Now, he was the youngest of three, essentially the kid-brother.

"c'mon, race you two to the fence!" Ichigo called as he raced off in the direction of the district limits. He didn't want them to worry about him, he _hated_ being worried about.

"Hey, wait! Peeta!" Littora called after him, but he was already gone, having climbed onto a nearby rooftop. Ichigo had introduced his two brothers to the idea of getting around by climbing on the rooftops about two years ago, and they had taken to it surprisingly well, lightly jumping from roof to roof with practiced ease. Neither of them, though, could understand how Ichigo was able to do it so easily and skillfully. It was like his feet never touched roofing as he made his way across the district.

 _"It's like he's been doing it since before he was born,"_ Eptasi had joked once when Ichigo had yet again left both him and Littora in the dust. He would never know how close to the truth he was. Their younger brother often confused and troubled them. Once, he was a sweet child that often smiled a huge, joyful smile that was quite endearing. But everything changed on a rainy day five years ago. The orange haired ten-year-old was getting ready for bed in their shared room after a particularly nasty hit to the head from their mother. From what his two older brothers could gather, he had received the beating because he burnt some bread. Just as he about to climb up to his bunk, he fell down to his knees for a brief moment and stood up a minute later almost a different person. Gone was the bright, endearing smile his brothers knew him so well for, replaced by a hardened scowl and a hot-tempered demeanor.

The first few weeks after The Change (as Eptasi and Littora called it in private) were the hardest. Ichigo hardly spoke at all and when they asked if he was all right he would just brush them off, saying he was fine. After about a month, their brother began to come alive again. He began to open up to them, and he even smiled every once and a while, although never as vibrantly as before. It was like getting to know a completely new person. He had new mannerisms, new opinions about things, and his scowl, although it almost never left his face, actually showed a surprising range of emotion. He began to go out after the bakery closed, breaking out in a full-on sprint to somewhere unknown the second the door closed.

Eventually, about a year after The Change, he approached them, asking if they wanted to join him in his regimen. Wanting to spend more time with their little brother, and also curious about what he did while he was out, they accepted his offer. So began their intensive and grueling training. Each day, after the bakery was closed and the three brothers were released, Ichigo started by having them run as fast as they could along a route that only Ichigo knew. For the first couple of months, they had been unable to reach their goal, running out of energy before they could reach the end of their brother's route. When they could go no further, Ichigo would send them back to the bakery while he himself set off again. They were amazed by his incredible stamina and drive, and they wondered how it was even possible for him to become so strong in only a year. The two brothers had become increasingly curious about Ichigo's destination, often pestering him about it. Ichigo refused to tell them every time, saying that they would have just have to find out for themselves. One day, about halfway through the third month of Ichigo's training, they finally reached their goal.

"This is it," said Ichigo.

"Made it!" Eptasi and Littora panted nearly in unison.

"So, what now?" Littora asked, curiously taking a look at the place where they had arrived and wondering what Ichigo had planned next.

The place that they had arrived at was a small meadow. On the opposite side from where the three siblings were standing, was the forest. Running through the meadow and cutting down the middle, was the tall fence topped by barbed wire that lined the entire district. The fence was supposed to be electrified, but power was intermittent in district twelve, so it was usually dead and safe to touch.

"Into the forest," Ichigo replied matter-of-factly. There was a pause, before both older brothers burst into laughter.

"You nearly had me for a second there," said Eptasi, "nice one, little… AAHHH!" He cut himself off when he saw Ichigo slipping under the fence and through to the other side. "Hold on, wait! Stop!" He called franticly, "do you have any idea what they'll do to you if you get caught?"

"Yes," came Ichigo's curt reply, "I'm not planning on getting caught," he continued. "Look, either go home or come with me, but if we stay here any longer, we really _will_ get caught." Making a quick decision, Littora and Eptasi quickly crossed through the opening in the fence that Ichigo had just used. Ichigo took them into the forest, tracing a route he had become familiar with. They emerged in a flat, grassy field littered with improvised training equipment. Then, he shocked his brothers once more by telling them both to try to come at him at once and subdue him.

"But we might hurt you!" Littora protested.

"Don't worry, I'll be fine. Now come." Ichigo said, taking a defensive stance. The two brothers were hesitant, gently trying to grab Ichigo's arms or legs, only to be easily deflected and thrown to the ground. They picked themselves up and turned to face their surprisingly skillful younger brother. "I said not to worry about hurting me!" Said Ichigo as he surged forward for a counter-attack. He danced around his older brothers, focusing on knocking the wind out of them without seriously hurting them. They began to become less cautious when they realized that their punches wouldn't connect. Ichigo, seeing that he had gotten his point across, threw them both to the ground to end the fight.

"Wow," gasped Eptasi from his resting place on the grass.

"Yeah," agreed Littora, "Where'd you learn how to fight like that?"

"Who knows," Ichigo replied, offering a hand to him. After Littora was on his feet, they both helped Eptasi up as well. "I wanted to show you what I'm going to teach you in action. Sorry if I hurt you," Ichigo said.

"You can teach us to do that?" Littora asked, thoroughly impressed.

"Of course," Ichigo replied, "that's the reason I brought you two out here."

"I'm in!" Said Littora.

"Me too!" Eptasi added.

"Let's get started then," said Ichigo. Over the next few months, Ichigo built his brothers' strength and technique, helping them become stronger. He never said it to them, but one of his main goals in strengthening his brothers was to prepare them so that if one of them got reaped for the Hunger Games, then he would have a much higher chance of winning. That was four years ago. Now, Littora and Eptasi were fit and very skilled.

Ichigo, Littora, and Eptasi (In that order, Littora and Eptasi having raced each other on the way,) arrived at the fence that they so often crawled under to get to their secret training area in the forest. They made their way over to a secluded corner created by a small group of trees, and sat down together. The brothers had discovered the little alcove a while ago, and now used it to rest after their training sessions. It was about 5 AM, and the sun had just started its appearance. The next two hours were spent happily bantering back and forth and avoiding the subject of the Reaping.

"Shh!" Ichigo suddenly hissed when he felt a reiatsu approaching, "Someone's coming." Littora and Eptasi, having learned long ago to listen to their younger brother when he said something like this, immediately stopped talking and sunk further into the thicket of trees. The approaching presence turned out to belong to a sixteen year old girl with olive skin, grey eyes, and long black hair worn in a braid.

 _I wonder if she has a boyfriend…_ Came a thought, unbidden, from Ichigo's mind.

 _I did NOT just think that._ He thought.

 _You didn't, I did._

 _Zangetsu? Is that you?_ Ichigo asked tentatively.

 _Indeed,_ came Zangetsu's measured reply.

 _Nice to hear you again, Zangetsu. But how?_ Ichigo asked. He had spent the five years, trying to call forward some sort of power from his previous life. All he had been able to regain before now was some of his reflexes and strength, and it was not even _close_ to what he had had before he died. Naturally, he was curious about why his zanpakuto would decide to appear now.

I am not familiar with how reincarnation works and it is likely that you, as unique as you are, do not follow the normal rules in any case, Zangetsu answered thoughtfully.

 _So you don't know,_ Ichigo thought.

No. At that, the conversation trailed of briefly before Ichigo remembered what his zanpakuto said earlier.

 _What was that about that girl having a boyfriend, anyway?_ Ichigo asked worriedly. His zanpakuto had always been quiet and measured, never surfacing to speak unless it was absolutely necessary. Hearing him talk about girls felt _wrong_ , and it sent shivers down his spine just thinking about the implications.

 _I am merely voicing the thought that you would never allow yourself to think._ Replied Zangetsu.

 _What the hell is that supposed to mean?_ Ichigo mentally shouted, feeling confused.

 _That you like her._

Ichigo felt a slight blush paint his features at this.

 _Of course I don't! That was a long time ago and that wasn't me, it was Peeta._

 _You ARE Peeta._

"Peeta?" Said Littora.

"Yeah?" Ichigo said quietly.

"She's gone now," Littora said.

"Oh… Right," Ichigo replied, still dwelling on what Zangetsu had said.

"Oh…? Does our little brother have a crush?" Teased Eptasi, misinterpreting Ichigo's vague response as wistfulness. Ichigo blinked, realizing what Eptasi had just said.

"Geeze! Why does everyone keep thinking I like that girl?" Ichigo cried out in frustration, his eyebrow beginning to twitch slightly. There was an awkward silence.

"…"

"…"

"Who's 'everyone'?"

"No one…"

"…"

 _I blame you for this, Zangetsu._

The three brothers recovered from the earlier awkwardness relatively easily, slipping back into their familiar and comforting banter and spending another two hours in the thicket of trees before getting up to find some food. After finding some meat pies that were with their budget, they made their way leisurely around town. The closed and darkened shops added to the general feeling of anxiety. It wasn't much to see, but the brothers wanted to spend as much time as possible together, in case today would be their last as a group of three.

"It's almost one o'clock, and the reaping starts at two" Littora said, looking up at the town clock, "we shouldn't be late."

"Guess you're right," said Ichigo. The three brothers made their way towards the town square. Ichigo took note of the feeling of fear that emanated from the people around him, it felt suffocating. The Mellark brothers found themselves surrounded by people as they made their way to the square. Every person fervently hoped that neither they nor their family members would be reaped. His customary scowl deepened at the sight of the brightly colored banners erected to celebrate the annual blood-sport that the 12 districts were forced to compete in. Camera crews covered the roofs as they tried to capture footage of the grisly event from every angle. In front of the Justice Building was a temporary platform supporting a podium in the center with three chairs behind it. The podium was flanked by two large glass balls filled with the names of all the people unfortunate enough to be aged between twelve and eighteen. The time had come for the three brothers to separate and make their way to their designated sections.

"I guess this is it. Good luck, both of you," said Littora, putting a hand on both his brothers' shoulders before turning to head to the spectator section. Littora was no longer eligible for the reaping, having just turned nineteen recently.

"Good luck," Eptasi said, turning to Ichigo.

"I'll see you both after the reaping," said Ichigo, before making his way to his section of the crowd. When he reached his designated section, he noticed that only two of the three chairs on the stage were filled. One was filled by the mayor, a somewhat tall man who was beginning to bald.

 _What was his name again? Mayor Unduly? Mayor Unmoody?_ Ichigo had never really been very good with names, and the man was so mild in personality that Ichigo had simply never taken an interest in him.

 _I believe it is Mayor Undersee,_ supplied Zangetsu. The other chair was filled with a green clad monstrosity of a woman with pink hair and an artificially white and toothy smile. There was something about her that rubbed him the wrong way. In fact, _everything_ about her rubbed him the wrong way, all the way from her make-up caked face to her gigantic earrings to her unnaturally cheerful demeanor.

The woman and Mayor Undersee were murmuring about something quietly and shooting quick glances at the empty seat in concern. The town clock's bell rung in the distance, signaling the time as two o'clock.

Undersee stepped up to the podium and began to read a scripted speech that was written who-knows-how-long ago. It was a painfully obvious propaganda rant that looked on the Capital with rose-colored glasses and put down the districts whenever possible. It spoke of war and natural disasters and rising sea-levels in a long monotonous list before beginning to talk about the Dark Days. The Dark Days were a time when the districts staged an uprising against the Capital. The end was disastrous, twelve of the districts were beaten into submission, and the thirteenth was completely annihilated. Then, to rub their defeat in their noses, the Capital created the Treaty of Treason. The Treaty of Treason established new laws to 'guarantee peace' and instated the Hunger Games. Each year, as the townspeople know all too well, one girl and one boy from each district were chosen through the process of the Reaping to fight each other in a gladiatorial deathmatch. Twenty four children entered the arena, but only one left it. The entire speech was essentially one gigantic guilt trip from Ichigo's perspective. He could tell that it was written exclusively to manipulate the people of the districts and keep them in line. After the speech was over, Undersee read the names of the previous victors of the Games, of which District 12 had had exactly two. One victor was dead and the other was Heymitch Abernathy. The Mayor had just finished saying Heymitch's name when the man himself stumbled on to the stage in all his blond haired, grey eyed, and apparently very drunk glory. He seemed familiar to Ichigo, but he couldn't quite place it. Abernathy's entrance was hailed by polite applause, which seemed to confuse him. He stumbled his way over to the make-up monster to attempt to give her big hug, a move that was promptly fended off by a hand to the face courtesy of the now very flustered woman. The mayor, now eager to move on and minimize district 12's embarrassment, introduced the make-up plastered woman as Effie Trinket. Happy to have an excuse to escape Heymitch's drunk affections, Effie trotted up to the podium to deliver her signature catch-phrase,

"Happy Hunger Games! And may the odds be _ever_ in your favor!" Ichigo noticed that her curly pinkish-white hair had shifted slightly to the right following Heymitch's unwelcome affections, revealing that it was a wig. She continued on to gush about how much of an honor it was to be here in district 12. It was obvious to most though that in truth she desperately wanted to be moved to a district with a victor that _didn't_ try to hug her on sight. Ichigo wandered briefly how many times his own name was entered into the reaping. He had insisted that if the Mellark family had to get a tesserae of grain and oil, that he be the one who entered his name the extra time that was required. He hadn't kept track because he didn't see the point. If he had to enter his name extra times he would do so without any hesitation. If his name got drawn, then there was nothing he could do, even if he knew how many times it was entered.

"Ladies first!" Came Effie's cry as she plunged her hand deep into the glass ball full of all of the girl's names.

 _Ladies first… how morbid,_ Ichigo thought as he listened carefully for the name that had yet to be called.

 _Indeed…_ Zangetsu agreed.

Even as bad with names as he was, Ichigo always made a point to remember the names of all the tributes as a sign of respect for those who were forced to die just to maintain the district's rocky political standing with the capital.

Effie made a big show of rummaging through the glass ball to pick out a name, making sure to pause for dramatic effect before settling on a folded piece of paper and pulling it from the globe. She unfolded it and, in a clear voice, called out, "Primrose Everdeen!" Ichigo was committing the unfortunate girl's name to memory when he felt his breath catch.

Everdeen… there was a girl in his class at school named Everdeen, the same girl that he had seen entering the forest earlier that day. But, what was her first name? He cursed his deficiency with names as he racked his brain for the name he was searching for. He decided that he would have to wait until the girl whose name had been called made her way up the center of the crowd. He had to crane his neck a little to see the girl, and when he saw that it wasn't the girl he was thinking of, he felt relief. Relief that he wouldn't have to watch someone he knew be murdered. And then immediately after, he felt guilt. The girl now making her way towards the platform was only twelve years old. It could have been either Yuzu or Karin up there, he realized. Little Primrose Everdeen could be someone's little sister or daughter, Just as loved by her family as Ichigo loved his sisters and even his new brothers.

"Prim!" A strangled cry came from the other side of the square, "Prim!" A path opened in the crowd and a girl that looked about sixteen years old rushed forward to pull Prim's arm and throw her behind her. Ichigo's eyes widened, it was the girl from earlier, the one who he remembered from his class.

"I volunteer!" she gasped, "I volunteer as tribute!" At that moment, Ichigo truly respected the brave girl that had decided to trade her life for her sister's. It was something that, if he had to, he would do in a heartbeat for either of his two older brothers. There was a scramble on the stage as Effie, the mayor, and Heymitch (more or less) scrambled to prepare for a volunteer, something that was almost unprecedented in district 12.

"Lovely!" Came Effie's typically cheerful response, "but I believe that there's a small matter of introducing the reaping winner and then asking for volunteers, and if one does not come forth then we, um…" she trailed off, unsure of what the next step was.

"What does it matter?" Mayor Undersee spoke up as he looked at the volunteer's face with a faint glimmer of recognition and sadness, "what does it matter? Let her come forward."

The girl from before, Prim, was now in hysterics and was hugging the volunteer with no apparent intention of letting go "No, Katniss! NO! You can't go!"

"Prim, let go," the volunteer replied harshly, and Ichigo knew she was holding back her tears. A boy from the section of crowd that Ichigo occupied, moved forward and said something to her before picking up Prim and taking her off. Ichigo assumed that he took her to her mother or father. The tribute girl watched him briefly before making her way up the steps up to the stage.

"Well, bravo!" Effie practically gushed. Ichigo felt sick, the woman was _actually_ taking pleasure in the anguish in a family being torn apart, and viewing it as excitement. It disgusted him. "That's the spirit of the games!" She continued, oblivious to the daggers that Ichigo was glaring at her. "What's your name?" At this, the volunteer swallowed hard and said, "Katniss Everdeen."

"I bet my buttons that was your sister. Don't want her to steal all the glory, do we? Come on, everybody! Let's give a big round of applause for our newest tribute!" The demon woman trilled. Silence reigned, not a single person clapped. Ichigo, while he felt that Katniss deserved something, didn't think that it would be right to clap. Instead, he touched the three middle fingers of his left hand to his mouth, and then extended it towards her. All around him, he saw people doing the same, a gesture of goodbye, love, and respect. Ichigo could see her beginning to lose her composure, her eyes watering slightly. Her savior comes in an unlikely form: Heymitch. He came staggering across the stage to throw a surprisingly muscular arm over her shoulder.

"Look at her. Look at this one!" He hollered, "I like her!" Ichigo could tell that Heymitch's scent was not a pleasant one, judging by the way Katniss's nose wrinkled. It was likely laced with alcohol and body odor. "Lots of…" he paused for a minute while he pondered a good word, "Spunk!" He cried triumphantly before adding, "More than you!" He released poor Katniss to charge up to a camera and repeat himself. "More than you!" Ichigo couldn't tell if he was addressing the camera directly, or if he was speaking through it to the Capitol. The hopelessly drunk man opened his mouth to continue, but before he was able to, he tripped off of the stage and knocked himself out. With the cameras briefly faced away from her, trying to catch every last moment of Heymitch's comedy skit, Katniss had just enough time to compose herself. Now that it was certain that Heymitch's little act was over, he was carried off in a stretcher while Effie Trinket began to push ahead with the reaping.

"What an exciting day!" She warbled as she tried and failed to inconspicuously straighten her wig, which had slipped further to the right to sit nearly on the side of her head. "But more excitement to come! It's time to choose our boy tribute!" She planted one hand on her wig in an attempt to keep it in place as she moved swiftly to the bowl that contained the boys' names. Reaching in quickly and forgetting to build tension, she grabbed the first slip of paper she felt.

 _Please don't be Eptasi, please don't be Eptasi._ Ichigo thought as the woman flashed back to the podium and read the name. "Peeta Mellark!" Ichigo stiffened as he recognized the name as his own, the name given to him in this life.

 _At least it's not Eptasi,_ he thought as he hardened his scowl to a mask, slipped his hands into his pockets, and strode up to the platform.

Katniss Everdeen had not had a good day. Of course, it wasn't like the day of the reaping was ever a good day, but this was almost up there with losing her father to the coal mines. First, Prim, dear, sweet Prim's name had been drawn. One name, amongst thousands, and it had still been drawn. She hadn't been able to stand by and watch while her sweet sister went to her doom. And now Peeta Mellark, the same Peeta that, when her father had died and she had been scavenging for food in empty trashcans, had given her food. He had burnt bread on purpose and faced his abusive mother's beating just so he could give it Katniss. That day he had stood in front of her, his face marked red where his mother had hit him, offering her two large and slightly burnt loafs of bread. Later when she had seen him at school his face was heavily swollen and his eye was black, a result of the beating he had received. Now, he walked up to the stage, scowling, eyes showing no fear. Katniss had had just enough time to hope that she wouldn't be the one to have to kill him when she felt his hand on her shoulder.

"I would have done the same," was all that he said before taking his place next to her. She wondered what he meant. Would he truly have volunteered if his brother was chosen instead? Or was he just trying to make an impression for the cameras? Looking at him, she truly couldn't tell, his face was a perfect mask. The Mayor began to read the Treaty of Treason, listing the laws that had went into effect right after the Dark Days. When the mayor finished reading, he motioned for Katniss and Ichigo to shake hands. She took the opportunity to really study him. He was almost six feet tall with brown eyes and orange hair. He was wearing lose blue jeans and a shirt that fell over his muscled chest in a way that Katniss might have found attractive if it weren't for the situation. Instead she just noted his fitness as something that may turn out to be a threat.

 _Wait… orange hair? How is that even possible?_ Katniss wondered as she shook his hand. They turned back to the crowd as the anthem of Panem played, signaling the end of the reaping.

After the reaping, the guards that were standing nearby roughly pushed the two new tributes into the Justice Building. Ichigo mentally snorted at the irony of a place called the Justice Building being used for such a purpose. They were herded into an elevator and then into separate rooms furnished with velvet couches and thick carpets. There they waited for the allotted 'goodbye time' with their families to begin. His father came in to capture Ichigo in a crushing hug. He seemed to practically cling to Ichigo, not wanting his youngest son to go. His brothers came next, and it was obvious that Eptasi was holding back tears.

"I tried to volunteer like that girl did, I really did, but I couldn't work up enough courage. I'm sorry!" He said, collapsing to his knees in a bout of grief and guilt.

"It's alright," said Ichigo, comforting his brother with a hand on his shoulder, "it's not like I would have let you anyway."

"But…"

"No buts, now pull yourself together so I can see you smile before I go," said Ichigo."

"Alright," Eptasi said, composing himself slightly. Littora was somewhat better composed.

"Come back, alright?" He said stoically, "make sure you do."

"I will," was Ichigo's reply. He was surprised when both brothers tackled him simultaneously in a silent hug. "Fine, fine, I get it. I'm not planning on dying anytime soon." Ichigo finally had to push them away so he could turn to his mother and say, "I guess this is it for a while, Mother?"

"It seems so," she replied. A silence fell over the room, neither Ichigo nor his mother could think of anything to say to the other. Finally, Ichigo's mother broke the silence, saying, "maybe District 12 will finally have a winner. She's a survivor, that one." To his entire family's surprise, Ichigo snorted.

 _Unsupportive to the last,_ he thought.

"I'll miss you too, Mother," He said, chuckling bitterly. Then he walked up to his father to say, "Take care of that Primrose girl, ok? I want to make sure that Katniss's sacrifice isn't in vain. Let her know that too." He began to make his way to the door of the room when he saw that his time was nearly up. He stopped, "oh, and give that girl some cookies, she deserves it," he said before continuing on.

As soon as Ichigo left the room, he was again greeted by guards and then marched out behind the Justice building to a ridiculously shiny and colorful car. Ichigo assumed that it belonged to the Trinket Demon. The car took them to the district limit fence before driving along it. Ichigo looked through the fence, drinking in the scenery just in case he wouldn't have a chance to see it again. The drive was short and the car quickly pulled up to the train station. As soon as they got out of the car, they saw scores of reporters, flying cameras and TV screens supported by hovercraft. They were quickly mobbed as the reporters descended on the two tributes. Katniss saw herself on one of the many TV screens floating around and felt somewhat gratified to see that she looked almost bored, and also saw that her fellow tribute seemed to have perfected a look of his own. His scowl seemed to say ' _get on with it, you're wasting my time_ '. Katniss thought it was somewhat odd that a baker's son could so easily put on a mask like that. They continued their route through the media frenzy to the sleek, shiny train that would take them to the Capitol. When they reached the door that they would be entering the train through, they were stopped for pictures and a quick interview. Both Ichigo and Katniss avoided answering as many questions as they could. After a few minutes of the reporters and their cameras drinking in every inch of the tributes they could, the guards finally pushed back the crowd and released Ichigo and Katniss. Happy to have an escape at last, they boarded the train.

There it is.

This is my first attempt at uploading something to fanfiction, so let me know if I did anything wrong.

The name is also subject to change, so let me know if you have an idea.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

 **A/N: I completely forgot this story was adopted from RocketDwarf. That's why I posted the quote up top. I do this with all my adopted stories I guess I forgot to put it into the summary. Well I fixed that enjoy. Also if you check the post on his profile he posted up for adoption I was the first taker. So there you go enjoy.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach or Hunger Games.**

The doors of the train closed behind Ichigo and Katniss and they felt the train lurch as it accelerated forward. Ichigo noticed that Katniss seemed unused to the speed. Effie, who had boarded at another entrance while Ichigo and Katniss were stopped by the Capitol's media onslaught, led them through a hallway and into separate rooms.

Finally alone, Ichigo took a minute to take in his surroundings. The room that he had just entered was about twice as big as the room he and his brothers shared at the bakery. To the right, in a corner, was a large and comfortable looking bed with a dresser next to it. To the left was a door that joined the room to a shower and bathroom area. Ichigo decided to make use of the shower, slipping out of his slightly ragged clothes and stepping into it. It had been (Literally) a life-time since Ichigo had last taken a warm shower, and it was relaxing and pleasant. He felt his usually tense muscles melting and a sense of calm washed over him. The showers back home were cold and infrequent, and this was a welcome change. After about thirty minutes of soaking, Ichigo stepped out of the small shower and dried himself off before walking over to the dresser and selecting a simple pair of jeans and a T-shirt to put on.

Deciding that there was nothing better to do, Ichigo stepped out of his room to go and wait for supper in the dining room. He was halfway through the small hallway when Heymitch tumbled into him drunkenly.

"Why're you in the way…" Heymitch mumbled to Ichigo, "don' you know I'm on my way to a nap?" The drunk didn't wait for an answer, instead he staggered into his room and closed his door behind him. As Ichigo watched the man go, he again felt the nagging feeling that he knew Heymitch from somewhere else. Sure, he had seen the drunk Hunger Games victor during previous reapings, but Ichigo felt like there was something else about him.

After racking his brain for the answer for a few minutes, he gave up with a cry of frustration and turned to find a seat in the dining room.

Ichigo hadn't thought about what he would do once he made it to the dining room, and he was starting to regret his decision. It had been nearly an hour and a half since he had stepped in to the small room, and not a single thing had happened.

 _Where're Eptasi and Littora when you need them?_ He asked the world in general. The two had really grown on him and now he missed their company and playful banter. He was wondering how they were doing when the Trinket woman burst out of her quarters and hurried into the dining room.

"Excellent! You're already up!" She squawked, "just wait here while I get everyone else!"

 _As if I have anywhere to go,_ Ichigo scoffed mentally. A moment later, Trinket returned with Katniss in tow. Katniss had chosen clothes that reminded Ichigo of what she had looked like earlier that day when she was heading out to the forest. _Wait, that was today?_ Ichigo thought. _It was, wasn't it,_ it was more of a realization than a question.

"Where's Heymitch?" Trinket asked brightly, interrupting Ichigo's thoughts.

"I ran into him in the hallway. He said he was heading for a nap," at least, Ichigo _assumed_ that was what Heymitch was doing. With him, he could just be drinking.

"Well," Effie said, some relief apparent in her voice, "it's been an exhausting day." Effie and Katniss sat down just as the first course of supper was delivered. The food was delicious and Ichigo found himself wolfing it down as quickly as he could. When he looked over in Katniss's direction, he could see her doing the same.

"Peeta?" Effie inquired halfway through the second course, "How do you get your hair such a beautiful shade of orange? It almost looks natural." Ichigo sighed.

 _This is going to be a long night,_ he thought exasperatedly.

"That's because it _is_ natural," Ichigo snapped, a little louder than he had intended to.

"Oh," said Effie, taken aback, "well, it is a _wonderful_ color!"

 _Wonderful color? Troublesome color._ Ichigo thought sourly.

The next course was a generous helping of mashed potatoes coupled with lamb chops.

"At least, you two have decent manners," Effie said after finishing a lamb chop and wiping her mouth, "the pair last year ate everything with their hands like a couple of savages," she continued dramatically, "it completely upset my digestion." Ichigo thought back to the previous year's tributes. They had been a scrawny duo that were both from the Seam, the poorest part of District 12 and the place that Ichigo remembered Katniss lived. It was unlikely that something as unimportant as the subject of silverware ever entered the discussion in their homes when there was food available.

Ichigo noticed that after Effie's comment on manners, Katniss put down her silverware and started to eat with her hands. Ichigo decided to join her in spiting Effie by dropping his own for and knife and tackling the next course, an assortment of cheese and fruit, unarmed. He and Katniss exchanged an amused look when Effie pursed her lips at them. Ichigo was slightly confused when Katniss broke the glance and ignored him for the rest of the meal.

After dinner, Ichigo and Katniss were lead into a new room to watch the recap of the day's reaping on a large flat-screen TV.

 _There's gotta be a way to get everyone out, but how?_ He thought as he watched a boy with a crippled foot limp onto a stage in District 10, _and how am I going to save all these kids?_

 _You will not be able to save them all,_ Zangetsu reminded him, _some won't even want to be saved._

 _But still…_ Ichigo trailed off as a young girl from District 11 with dark skin that reminded him of Prim and the brave sacrifice Katniss made to save her. Unlike District 12's case, though, nobody stepped forward for the girl. _I better find a way to access my power soon,_ Ichigo decided.

District 12 was next. The commentators briefly jabbered about the district's job like they thought that it was the first time the audience had even _heard_ of District 12. All the juicy bits were shown. Poor Prim's name was drawn as the commentators made light banter, Katniss stepped up and took her sisters place, and the crowd stayed silent while the commentators clapped lightly.

"Local customs can be so _charming_ sometimes," one of them said as the entire district saluted Katniss.

 _Belittling us at any chance they get,_ Ichigo thought with disgust, as he watched the recording of Heymitch falling off the stage to the groans of the commentators. Effie made a disgruntled comment about Heymitch's 'televised behavior' as he was being taken away on a stretcher. Next Ichigo watched as his own name was called and he walked up scowling to the platform to put a hand briefly on Katniss's shoulder. His words to her were not heard.

"What's between those two, I wonder…" one commentator said conspiratorially. Ichigo had to resist the urge to face-palm.

 _First Zangetsu, then Eptasi, and now these idiots? Who's next? Heymitch?_ He thought with frustration as the anthem played. As if on cue, Heymitch staggered into the room.

"I miss supper?" Was the question he asked before emptying the contents of his stomach on the carpet and falling into the puddle. At this, Effie gave a little squeak and rushed out of the room, carefully skirting the mess. Ichigo and Katniss stood for a moment, momentarily frozen by horror and disgust. Katniss moved forward, planning on helping carry their drunk mentor to his room, but Ichigo beat her to it, picking Heymitch up easily and throwing the man over his shoulders.

"I have him," Ichigo said when he saw her trying to help, "don't worry about it." Katniss followed him down the hall to Heymitch's room. When they reached the shower, Ichigo turned around and looked Katniss straight in the eye. "Go to bed, you look really tired," he said. She looked startled for a moment before murmuring something quietly, walking into her room, and closing the door behind her. Now satisfied that the girl was going to get some rest before they got to the Capitol, Ichigo turned to the unpleasant task at hand.

Peeta Mellark was a confusing person, Katniss thought as she sat in her room looking out the window. First he told her that he 'would've done the same' as her, and now he had just told her to get some rest while he cleaned Heymitch. Why was he so being so nice to her? Was he just trying to get Katniss to let her guard down? He was a baker's son, not exactly the hardest position, but at the same time he was able to put on that scowling mask with such ease. What kind of experiences did someone need to have to develop that kind of scowl?

 _His mother beats him, is that it? If it is, just how hard does she hit?_ Katniss began to feel sorry for him. _NO! Not allowed! He's my enemy, he has to die so I can survive,_ she mentally shouted. Kind people were dangerous to Katniss in this situation. Katniss's plan to counteract kindness boiled down to this: ignore it completely. Her decision made, Katniss took the cookies that Mr. Mellark had given to her, and threw the entire bag out the window. The train was stopped for refueling and Katniss made the fatal mistake of looking where she was throwing. The bag had landed on a patch of dandelions. She was instantly reminded, once again, of her fellow tribute's kindness. She remembered seeing him at school, face bruised where his mother had hit him. When she turned away, she saw a dandelion, the first of the season, and feeling hope.

She was interrupted from her worries when she heard a sharp shout from somewhere in the train.

"GETABOSHI!?"

"ICHIGO!?"

 _And now people are shouting gibberish,_ she thought as she went to find out what was happening.

Heymitch Abernathy felt almost sober. He hated the feeling.

"Can I go and get drunk again?" Heymitch asked.

"No." Came Ichigo's reply.

"Please?"

Heymitch was washing his face at a small sink next to the shower in his room.

 _There's something about him that I recognize,_ Heymitch thought. _Ah well, nothing a good bottle of something strong won't get rid of._ He turned around to find something to drink and found himself face-to-face with Ichigo. The boy's face was solidly set into a scowl and he opened his mouth to say something. Then, his mouth closed again briefly and his eyes shot wide open in recognition.

"GETABOOSHI!?"

 _What's that?_ Heymitch thought briefly before it hit him, _oh, right…_

The niggling feeling that had been bothering him suddenly expanded, filling his mind. It kept expanding until it broke out into realization. all the memories from Heymitch's past life flooded his mind. He reeled from the shock, staggering backwards.

"ICHIGO!?"

The scene that Katniss was greeted with when she found the source of the noise was bizarre, to say the least. Inside the room she had entered was Heymitch, but not the Heymitch she knew. No, this Heymitch stood with a look of shock on his face for a few seconds before leaning against the doorway to the bathroom with a sense of nonchalant poise and a vague, but somehow knowing, smile. The Not-Heymitch opened his mouth and said,

"Well, well, if it isn't Ichigo." Instead of the harsh rasp that Katniss had come to expect from him, he spoke in an amiable and teasing tone. "It's been a long time."

"What the hell's going on?" Peeta asked, mirroring Katniss's sentiment exactly. "Why are you here? How?"

 _Wait, where does Peeta know Heymitch from?_ Katniss thought, feeling thoroughly confused.

"Don't ask me, I'm just a humble shop-keeper, what would I know about reincarnation?" The not-Heymitch said, holding his hands up in front of him.

 _Reincarnation?_ Katniss thought, _seriously, what?_

"That means you _defiantly_ know something!" Peeta (who apparently was also Ichigo,) shouted at the not-Heymitch, grabbing the blonde's arm and yanking him out of the room.

Katniss decided that she would just sit down and wait until things started making sense again.

"Explain," Ichigo said as he threw one 'humble shop-keeper' on the bed in his room and closing the door.

"But Ichigo, where's the fun in that?"

"Just do it."

"Fine, party pooper," Kisuke pouted. "Let me think… oh! Right. When a particularly powerful being dies, such as a high-ranking shinigami, they are reincarnated as a human."

"You died then?" Ichigo asked.

"Yep, that sealing kidou required that I give my life after it activated." Urahara replied cheerfully.

"Wait, why are you so old?" Ichigo said, "I died before you did."

"The time it takes for someone to be reincarnated seems quite random, actually. It's just sheer dumb luck that we met after being reincarnated." Urahara explained

"Why were you so pathetic before just now?"

"I still hadn't recovered my memories. Usually, reincarnated people don't ever regain memory of their past life, but seeing someone from your past life generally triggers it. Who'd you see?"

"No one, I recovered my memories after seeing…" Ichigo paused for a second, "someone… lose a parent."

"So it reminded you of losing your own."

"I think so."

"That would do it."

There was silence for a moment.

"Are we ever going to be able to get access to our power?" Ichigo asked.

"I'm not sure about that one, have you been able to talk to Zangetsu?"

"Yeah, I have."

"That's good. Have you been able to materialize him?"

"No, but I've tried."

"Perhaps I can figure out some way to make something like a gigai for Zangetsu and Benihime to help us use our powers while still in our bodies."

"Benihime?" Asked Ichigo, who was slightly confused.

"My zanpakuto."

"Oh."

"In the mean-time, we have the whole 'Hunger Games' thing to survive, right?"

"…right"

"I probably won't be able to invent a way to give our zanpakutos physical form before you get to the arena, so you'll need sponsors to help send it down once it's ready."

"And your point is…?"

"You need an angle, some way to woo the Capitol people into giving you care packages and the like while you're in the arena. Maybe something cute."

"Me? Cute? I don't think the alcohol has quite worn off yet, Getaboshi."

"No, not you _alone_. I'm thinking something along the lines of star-crossed lovers."

"Lovers? Who am I gonna…" Ichigo trailed off, realization donning, "No! Nonononononono! Not you too."

"Katniss Everdeen."

"Why her?" Cried Ichigo.

"Because it's convenient."

"Damn it, Getaboshi."

"Now to Our Second Point Of Business" Haymitch/Kisuke continued.

"As much as I hate to say it. Ichigo and Kisuke are long dead" Ichigo frowned at this comment, but as much as didn't want to admit, Kisuke, like always was right.

It's time to let the dead rest.

"So it's Haymitch Now Right?"

"Yeah Peeta… it is, but if you want you can call me Getaboshi"

"Really GetaBoshi" Ichigo responds wearing a deadpanned look.

"IN PRIVATE"

Taptaptap…

"Mmmph…"

Taptaptap.

Pale grey morning light filtered in through a window in Katniss's room as she woke up and instantly tried to find sleep again.

"Up, up, up! It's going to be a big, big, big day!" Effie's muffled voice pierced through the air, somehow managing to be even more annoying than her obnoxious tapping.

 _What happened last night anyway?_ Katniss asked herself as she slipped on the cloths she had worn the day before. _Oh right, that._ She suddenly remembered the end of the previous evening. _It must have been a dream._ Katniss decided. _That was too bizarre to have actually happened. I mean, the whole 'reincarnation' thing was a dead giveaway._

Katniss ran her finger over the small, golden bauble that the daughter of the mayor of District 12 gave her. It was a figure of a small bird, framed by a ring. The bird was a Mocking-jay, a bird that would sing back what a person sang to it. It was a reminder of her father, who loved the strange birds.

Katniss stepped out of her room and almost immediately hat to dodge a huffy Effie as she strode past with a cup of black coffee in her hand.

 _What's got her in such a bad mood?_ Katniss wondered as she stepped into the dining car.

The scene she was greeted with was just as bizarre as the one she was greeted with last night.

Katniss stared in horror as Peeta Mellark the orange-haired baker's son held Heymitch in a headlock, giving the blonde a noogie.

"OWOWOW! Peeta! That hurts!" Katniss paled further when she heard Heymitch's voice. It was the voice of the person she had subconsciously dubbed not-Heymitch.

 _I have enough crazy in my life without this piling on to it._ She thought miserably.

"Oh, it's…Ichi… Peeta, what was her name again?"

"Ask her yourself, idiot."

"You won't let me go."

"oh, right."

Not-Heymitch, now that he was free from Peeta's noogie, strode up and offered a hand to Katniss.

"What with that Look Miss?"

"K-Katniss Everdeen?" Katniss offered, still not quite caught up with the current situation.

"Katniss you should really drop the look it. I'd Compare it to a dying fish"remarked Ichigo.

"Shove It Peeta"

"Now Calm Down Children, Have a seat, we have a lot to discuss." Kisuke dropped his hand when he saw that Katniss wasn't going to shake.

Katniss sat down and Peeta pushed a mug of something that looked like coffee in front of her.

"It's hot chocolate," Peeta said. "It's sweet," he added when he saw her blank look.

When Katniss took a tentative sip, she discovered that he was right. A warm feeling filled her and calmed her as she quickly took a much larger draft of the hot chocolate.

"Heymitch …" she said now that she was feeling more composed, "Why aren't you not Heymitch?"

"Well I'm Sober" He said happily. "Think of it as two sides of a coin. And this side is," he continued, gesturing to Peeta, "is Sober-Heymitch." Katniss looked at Peeta for some sign that Heymitch was just playing an elaborate practical joke. Instead, he nodded.

"Now that we're all introduced, let's get down to business." Kisuke said as he took a seat of his own and started to eat vigorously.

They ate in silence for a while, and Katniss first finished her hot chocolate before digging into the meal. She watched with growing irritation as Heymitch cheerfully stuffed his face. The man's demeanor reminded her of the way people from the Capitol acted.

It was when he started to make small-talk about the weather that she snapped, lunging forward with a knife with the intent to stab it between the annoyingly smug man's fingers. The plan was to make an impression and to show that she meant business. Katniss was completely taken by surprise when Heymitch grabbed the knife by the blade with one hand, and her wrist in the other.

"Don't get too hasty," Kisuke said, his voice now very serious, "Know your opponent's strength before you attack." With a quick and almost painful squeeze, he released Katniss's arm. "We'll be arriving soon, so we don't have enough time to talk anyway." Kisuke cut her off, pointing to a window where the mountains that surrounded the Capitol were indeed visible. "Try not to resist what the stylists do with you, it's better just to trust them."

"But-" Katniss began.

"No buts, I'll see you after the stylists are done with you," Kisuke cut her off again, before stepping out of the car. Just as Kisuke closed the door behind him, the train entered a tunnel and the car went completely dark.

"Theatrics," Ichigo scoffed.

"That was on purpose?" Katniss asked.

"He never misses a chance."

Silence filled the compartment, making both tributes somewhat uncomfortable.

Just as Katniss was about to open her mouth to break the silence, light filled the compartment.

"Almost there," Ichigo said.

Ichigo and Katniss moved to the window as soon as the train stopped to look at the spectacle that was called the Capitol.

The Capitol was impressive, Ichigo had to give it that. The skyline was almost entirely filled with massive skyscrapers, partially blotting out the sun. Ichigo thought it was what Las Noches would look like if someone covered every inch of it with neon paint and then filled it with equally colorful people. Ichigo looked out at the crowd that had gathered around the station and began to feel slightly sick.

 _Such sick people._ He thought to himself as he moved away from the window and further into the train.

"Pretty hard to look at, huh?" Katniss said after she followed him.

"Mentally scarring."

 _Ow…._ Ichigo thought.

He had just spent the last few hours being plucked, preened, and even skinned. _All in the name of fashion,_ he thought sourly.

"Now, on to the business of your outfit," Ichigo's stylist, Portia, said after they finished lunch. The over-the-top woman had burst into the room that Ichigo had been being 'remade' in and promptly began to examine his naked body, much to his embarrassment.

 _Why couldn't they match the gender of the stylist to the tribute?_ Ichigo had thought.

"We, that is of course Cinna and I, are thinking about dressing you and Peeta in complimentary costumes."

"I'm not going out there in the nude, if that's what you're planning," Ichigo interrupted, remembering a Hunger Games from a few years back.

"Of course not!" Portia cried, sounding hurt, "wherever did you get that idea?" She didn't wait for an answer before barreling on. "Are you, by any chance, afraid of fire?"

 _This does not look good._

An hour later, Ichigo and Katniss stood in a chariot wearing matching black skin-tight suits waiting to be wheeled out to the massive crowd that had gathered in the square.

"What you think?" Ichigo heard Katniss whisper to him. "About the fire?"

"I'm not sure."

"Well, can you rip my cape off if the fire starts burning?"

"Sure."

"Thanks," Katniss said, looking relieved. "Isn't "Sober-Heymitch"," Katniss said, air quoting the name, "supposed to protect us from this sort of thing?"

"If we needed protecting, he would have already made his move."

"If you say so."

Ichigo and Katniss felt the chariot begin to move as the music started to play. One by one, the chariots rolled out to be displayed for the cameras. Cinna appeared holding a burning torch just as the chariot from District 11 made its way out. Ichigo saw Katniss tense when Cinna ignited their costumes, and then relax again when all she felt was a faint tickling sensation.

She looked stunning, standing there engulfed in flame.

"It works," said Cinna with a sigh of relief. Ichigo felt a vain in his forehead bulge.

"You mean you weren't sure?" Said Ichigo. Cinna ignored him. The stylist reached his hand up to gently tuck it under Katniss's chin.

"Remember, heads high. Smiles. They're going to love you!" Said Cinna. "Oh, one last thing. Heymitch had the idea to have you two hold hands."

 _Oh, right. 'Star-crossed lovers'_ Ichigo thought, remembering Kisuke's words from the day before. He reached out for Katniss's hand. Katniss initially pulled away, but then allowed him to hold her hand. _Here we go,_ Ichigo thought.

Ichigo noticed that the roar of the crowd got slightly louder when people saw Katniss and him come out of the tunnel. _Time to show off for the sponsors._

The District 12 chariot appeared to be quite the attention getter, Ichigo noted with some satisfaction. He also noted that Katniss beside him seemed to be getting into the spirit of it, sometimes even blowing kisses. Huge clumps of people reached up with their multi-colored arms to attempt to capture them.

 _Quite detached, aren't they?_ Zangetsu said as he surfaced to Ichigo's outer consciousness.

 _Yes, very,_ Ichigo agreed as he looked at a particularly over-done citizen of the Capitol.

 _You had better tell Katniss to loosen her grip on your hand before she does permanent damage._

 _Is that what brought you up?_ Ichigo asked.

 _Yes._

"Uh, Katniss?" Ichigo said through the side of his mouth.

"Yeah?" Katniss replied.

"Can you stop crushing my hand now?" Ichigo asked.

"Oh! Sorry." Katniss said, loosening her grip slightly. She hadn't realized how hard she was squeezing.

The chariots pulled up to the president's mansion, District 12's coming to a stop just as the opening music came to a conclusion. Above them President Snow stood up and gave a speech, officially welcoming the tributes to the Capitol.

Ichigo noticed that the cameras that flitted around the area capturing footage of the tributes spent considerably longer flitting around the chariot that he and Katniss occupied.

After the president's speech, the chariots circled the plaza in front of his mansion one at a time before entering the Training Center.

As the doors of the Training Center closed behind them, stylists and prep teams flooded the area, along with a loud chattering sound. It took a minute for Ichigo to realize that the chattering was coming from the prep teams.

 _Do human voices even go that high?_ He asked himself.

 _It seems so._ Zangetsu replied. _If you are going to go along with Kisuke's plan, you might want to start flirting with Katniss._

Ichigo felt himself blush. _I don't know how._

 _Complement her,_

"Katniss?" Ichigo said

"Yeah?"

"Uh… um…" Ichigo stuttered, "Flames suit you."

Katniss felt a faint blush paint her cheeks.

 _That sucked, didn't it?_

 _That actually wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be._

"Thanks," Katniss replied, "It matches your hair. The flames, I mean." Now it was Ichigo's turn to blush.

"Yeah, I guess it does," Ichigo said, running his hand through his hair. Ichigo noticed that Katniss was now closer then he felt was comfortable.

 _Zangetsu?_ Thought Ichigo as he started to panic. _What do I do?_ There was no response. Then Katniss lunged forward and kissed him on the cheek.

 _How are you going to handle this if you can't even take a kiss to the cheek?_ Zangetsu said exasperatedly.

The Training Center is a large building that has a tower specifically built for the tributes and their teams. One floor per district. Ichigo watched through the crystal walls of the elevator that was taking him, Katniss, and Effie up to their floor as the ground fell below him. Effie was even bubblier than she usually was, and was currently going on about how she had been carting Ichigo and Katniss around to rich potential sponsors all day.

"I've been very mysterious, though," she said as she squinted her eyes conspiratorially, "because, of course, Heymitch hasn't bothered to tell me your strategies. But I've done the best with what I had to work with. How Katniss sacrificed herself for her sister. How you've both successfully to overcome the barbarism of your district."

Ichigo mentally scoffed.

 _Barbarism? How ironic._ He thought.

"Everyone has their reservations, naturally. You being from the coal district. But I said, and this was very clever of me, I said, 'Well, if you put enough pressure on coal it turns to pearls!'"

Ichigo could hear Zangetsu groan in his head while Katniss responded with somewhat fake enthusiasm.

"Unfortunately, I can't seal the sponsor deals for you. Only Heymitch can do that." Effie said grimly. "Perhaps now with his sudden change in mood, it will be easier to get him to the table."

Effie's chatter easily filled the space of time it took for them to reach their quarters, and Ichigo welcomed the freedom from her noise as he stepped into his luxurious room.

Buttons covered almost every object in the room, and Ichigo decided to completely ignore as many as he possibly could. He had had enough of Kisuke's inventions to be weary.

 _Might as well take a shower,_ Ichigo thought.

The shower was cylindrical in shape, with nozzles of various sizes and shapes covering the walls. Inside the shower, he was faced with a panel covered in even _more_ buttons.

 _Glorious…_ was Ichigo's thought as he eyed the panel, _which one turns on the hot water?_

 _Perhaps we should just press one to find out,_ Zangetsu suggested wearily.

 _Fine, but I'm blaming you for whatever happens,_ Ichigo thought.

He reached out and pressed a few buttons experimentally and fearing the worst. He was not disappointed.

"OW, OW, OW!" He shouted as he was assaulted by scalding hot water and strawberry shampoo. "YOUR FAULT, ZANGETSU. YOUR FAULT!" Moving quickly, he jumped out of the shower. "Damn Capital, can't even make a decent shower." He grabbed a towel that was hanging nearby and dried himself off.

He searched the dresser for something that would feel like a shihakusho. There was, of course, nothing even close to it available.

Damn, _those things are comfortable too._

Ichigo spent the rest of his time before dinner laying on the bed and resting.

It was only when Effie came to knock on his door to call him for dinner that he realized just how hungry he was. Effie led him to a balcony where Cinna and Portia were already waiting. Effie went back inside to fetch Katniss and Ichigo was left alone with the stylists.

"You were excellent out there, Peeta," Portia gushed.

"You have a great expression too," Cinna added, "Is that hair natural?"

"Yes," Ichigo said curtly. Cinna, sensing that Ichigo wasn't open to discussion about it, decided to press on.

"Heymitch is joining us."

"Good, I need to speak to him."

"You would, wouldn't you," Portia said, trying to keep the conversation going, "he _is_ your mentor, after all."

The conversation was saved when Effie returned with Katniss. Katniss was slightly better at talking with the stylists and Effie's chatter filled the rest of the space. Ichigo had to wave a white-clad young man when he tried to offer Ichigo wine, but other than that, Ichigo's dinner was pleasant. That is, until the food arrived along with Kisuke. The former shop-keeper had somehow found an outfit that matched the one he wore in his previous life perfectly, right down to the bucket-shaped hat.

"Hello everyone, I'm here!"

"Just sit down, Geta…Heymitch."

"You can be so cold sometimes, Peeta."

Effie, Portia and Cinna exchanged confused looks as Kisuke sat down.

"He hasn't drank anything in a Day…His system not taking it to well" Ichigo easing the confused looks that were derived from the exchange.

"Yes, well…" Effie trailed off, somehow at a loss for words.

"Now, let's discuss out strengths and weakness', shall we," Kisuke barreled on ahead, "you first Peeta."

"You already know mine."

"They don't"

Ichigo sighed.

"Hand-to-hand combat, swordsmanship, and baking."

"There, now that wasn't so hard, was it?" Kisuke teased. "Now you, Katniss." It took a second for Katniss to realize that Kisuke had addressed her.

"Uh… I don't really have any." She said.

"Yes you do," Ichigo said unexpectedly, "Archery. My dad buys your squirrels."

"I'm not very good though…"

"Yes," Ichigo interrupted, "yes you are. I've seen the squirrels, every one was killed by an arrow to the eye."

"Good to know," said Kisuke. "Next, we need sponsors, does anybody have any Ideas for that?"

"I've already spent most of the day telling people about these two," Effie pouted, "What have you been doing all day? Drinking the sponsors into giving us their support?"

"As a matter of fact, I've been working on creating things that will be helpful to send down during the Games." Kisuke said, acting hurt.

"Like what?" Effie shot back with suspicion.

"A sword for Peeta."

"Are Sure?" Cinna asked, "We are only going by your word on his abilities."

"I have 100% faith in him," Kisuke replied, pointing to Ichigo.

"Maybe you should drink alittle- the lack of alcohol may have changed your brain chemistry" Effie said, apparently having had enough of Kisuke's attitude.

"Well if the Madam insist"

"No, you're easy to deal with sober right…Peeta" Katniss said careening her neck to Ichigo.

"Isn't that right?" She continued, facing Ichigo.

"Yeah" Ichigo said sweat gathering on his neck. Effie gave up and stormed huffily into the tower.

 _Apparently that wasn't the right thing to say._ Ichigo thought as he watched the woman's retreating back.

"Oh well, I suppose we'll just have to continue without her." Kisuke said as he leaned back into his chair. "Now then, are there any more ideas?" He asked. There was no answer. "Alright then…"

"Stop stalling," Ichigo said.

"There you go again, Peeta. So cold." Said Kisuke. "To get sponsors on our side, we need to have something that they like. Cute things are likable, so we'll go with that."

"What do you have in mind?" Cinna asked.

"Star-crossed lovers."

Katniss groaned. Ichigo silently joined her.

"I'll give you two the details tomorrow. Meeting, adjourned!"

With that, Kisuke stood up and exited the balcony, leaving the somewhat shell-shocked Capitol dwellers and Katniss behind.

"Swords?" Katniss asked.

"You'll see." Ichigo replied, standing up. "Tomorrow."

 **A/N: I decided on keeping Ichigo and Kisuke's Name in public –Peeta and Heymitch for a simple reason, those lives are over, yeah they have their memories but they not exactly the same person. Also no overpowered Ichigo or Kisuke…..Sorry**


End file.
